Meant To Be
by Lexi Lupin
Summary: Harry died in the final fight along with Voldemort...right? Five years later, he comes back to Hogwarts with a new name and changed appearance. When will he bring himself to reveal his true identity? NoHBP COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: It all, unfortunately, is the property of the lovely master of story telling, JK Rowling. But I'll just kinda borrow the characters for a little while…**

**Not really sure where I'm going with this actually…I'm in the middle of a bigger project about Hermione and Snape, this is just kind of a little side thing to keep the creative juices flowing…I'm not anticipating this being overly long or anything. But we shall see.**

**Also…this _will not_ follow the happenings of Half-Blood Prince, just fyi.**

**Chapter 1**

Harry Potter stood at the gate, gazing up at the school he had called home for nearly seven years. Five years later, the castle looked about the same as it always had. Harry knew, however, that the people inside the building were very changed. They had suffered terrible loses during the long and bitter war that had raged for three years, during Harry's fifth, sixth, and seventh years at Hogwarts. The war that had ended in the spring before Harry was due to graduate. The war that Harry had ended. And the war that had claimed Harry's life.

Or so everyone thought.

It was August, just after Harry's twenty-third birthday. Term was due to start in less than two weeks.

Harry remembered vividly the battle that had ravaged the school grounds and the village of Hogsmeade. Only recently had his new mentor managed to teach him to remember the battle without reliving it. It had been a long time of recuperation, but Harry was ready now. Well, almost ready. Had he truly been ready, he would not be standing with his face pressed against the bars of the shut gate, reminiscing about his school years. He would not be standing there with a face that was not even his. They had thought it for the best that, while reappearing for the first time when thought dead, Harry changed his appearance. People would either panic with the belief there was dark magic involved, or think he was an imposter, masquerading as the dead boy-who-lived. His identity would be revealed in time.

The last five years had been years of painful recovery for Harry, physically and mentally. After defeating Voldemort, seriously wounded, Harry had apparated with no clear destination or even purpose in mind. It was simply what he knew he had to do. And so he found himself, on the brink of death, suddenly in the care of a little old man, a hermit of sorts, who declared he had been expecting him all along. Harry had slipped in to unconsciousness and, upon wakening, found he could remember nothing more than vague impressions and images from his life to that point. The man calmly explained this was his mind's way of dealing with intense trauma, and his memories would return once he was ready to remember them.

And they did. It took the better part of a year, but finally he remembered everything. The happy things came first: Ron and Hermione, winning the house and quidditch cups, the rest of the Weasley family; then came memories of the Dursleys, the Chamber of Secrets, times Harry had escaped Voldemort. Then came the truly painful things; Sirius' death, Cedric's death, the memory of his parent's deaths. And then Harry was finally forced to deal with what had happened to him and those he loved the night he appeared at the cottage of the expecting old man. He was horrified, not only with the things that had happened to those he knew, but also with those things which he had done. He had killed a person for the first time in his life. That power disturbed him, even though he realized it was merely in the defense of those he loved.

Bernard- the old man who cared for him- spent five years helping Harry regain his mental and physical stability. Aside from a few scars that hadn't been there before, Harry looked, and behaved, much the same way since before the battle. He was much more mature now though- wizened well beyond his twenty-three years. Harry had been through more in just twenty years than most people endure in a lifetime.

Bernard was never very explicit when Harry asked questions.

"_How did I end up here? Did you call me?"_

"_You are here because it was meant to be. Now continue your meditation, you still have five minutes."_

He had, however, indulged Harry by keeping him somewhat informed of his friends. And by letting him know that he was assumed to be dead. Harry never knew how Bernard knew any of these things. The best guess he could come up with was that he was a diviner of sorts, a real one, unlike Sibyl Trelawney. He never saw Bernard use any types of magic, though he was obviously very knowledgeable of the wizarding world. Harry got the impression that Bernard was of the belief that magic was an easy way out, cheating of a sort, and he preferred to do things the long, yet more fulfilling way.

Bernard had been warning Harry for the past few months that his time to leave was drawing near.

"_You think I am ready?"_ Harry had asked when he first brought the matter about.

"_What I think has little to do with anything," _Bernard had reprimanded. _"It is when you know you are ready."_

And so, Harry now found himself gazing longingly, yet apprehensively, at Hogwarts school, under a concealing charm to avoid recognition, and with a false set of identification papers, under which he was a twenty-five year old who had graduated eight years ago from a small, little known school, in the country of Switzerland, that had conveniently closed a year after his graduation because of Voldemort's rising activity.

"_Follow your heart." _So Bernard had said. Well his heart had led him right back to the place it had all started. Now, unsure what to do next, Harry found a nice place a few yards off the path where he sat down and closed his eyes. Using concentration techniques he had perfected in the last few years, he cleared his mind and willed it to show him the next step of his journey. He did not have long to wait; a sudden voice startled him out of his reverie.

"Erm…are you lost?"

Harry gazed up in to a pair of dark blue eyes belonging to a short, slightly pudgy young man with a kindly, though mildly confused, expression. He realized with a start that he knew this person, but carefully trained his face not to give away this recognition.

"Only in the mental sense," was his cryptic but good-humored reply. He stood up and offered his hand. "James Sevanski." This was the name upon his false records.

The other man took his hand and shook it. "Neville Longbottom." Harry already knew this of course.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Longbottom. Are you heading up to the school?"

"Please, it's Neville, and yes. I was just picking up a few things in the village. Term starts entirely too soon, we're all rushing about to make sure everything is prepared for the students, come September."

"Oh, are you a professor?" Harry asked, not able to keep _all_ the surprise out of his voice.

"Why, you'd better believe it," rang out a second clear voice from down the path. "Best dang professor in the school. I simply can't believe how the enthusiasm for herbology has grown since _our _days in Hogwarts." The young woman stopped purposely in front of Harry and shook his hand, her left arm weighed down by bags full of books. "Hermione Granger, arithmancy professor."

Harry stared at her for a moment and had to kick himself mentally for seeming rude. "James," he said breathlessly, "James Sevanski. Traveler."

"Pleasure," she said, and turned her attention to Neville. "We really should hurry, Albus expects us for dinner in twenty minutes, we spent more time in the Three Broomsticks than we intended." Her attention then shifted back to Harry. "Would you care to join us?"

Harry smiled but shook his head. "No, thank you. I should be on my way down to the village, I need to find myself a room for the night. And I wouldn't want to impose upon you."

"Nonsense," Hermione interrupted, "Hogwarts has always prided itself on its hospitality, and it wouldn't be a bother at all. Especially considering the students are not even back yet for term."

At this point, Harry just didn't want to appear rude. So he accepted the invitation. "As long as you're sure."

SCENE

Sitting once more among his friends and mentors, Harry struggled to remind himself that he was not really Harry. Not yet, at least. He could not explain his hesitation to keep his identity hidden. He supposed he just really wanted to gauge what everyone's reactions would be to discover the boy-who-lived did in fact live. He feared their anger and resentment over his disappearance, and rejection of his return. What if they blamed him for everything that had gone wrong the night Voldemort fell? And so he sat and watched and listened, taking in little bits from all the conversations, ranging from serious discussion to playful banter. He gazed around the table and considered each person in turn.

There was Neville, possibly the most surprisingly changed person present. He had gone from a fearful, bumbling student to a confident and engaging young man.

There was Hermione, hardly changed at a glance, but Harry sensed a deeper darkness within her. He felt a stab of guilt, wondering if this had anything to do with his 'death'.

Albus Dumbledore seemed younger to Harry than he remembered, probably because he was not consumed with work defeating Voldemort every waking moment. But when Neville had introduced him, Harry thought he was missing something of the sparkle he used to have in his eye when he smiled.

Harry had been truly surprised to be introduced to Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for 'the longest amount of time we've had one in twenty years,' as Hermione put it. Harry wondered how they got that appointment past the school governors after it became public nearly ten years ago that Remus was a werewolf.

It was this line of thinking that put Harry in to panic mode. How much did he really miss during the last five years? Maybe Remus was some kind of war hero that the governors did not wish to offend. Maybe some sort of partial human discrimination legislation was passed, enabling Remus to find work. Maybe someone found a cure for lycanthropy. And if one of these things had occurred, who knew what else had happened? Bernard had kept him minimally informed of important happenings, but Harry realized that, beyond knowing who the current Minister of Magic was, there was quite a lot he had missed out on.

"James? Are you alright?"

Harry was startled once more out of his thoughts by Neville.

"Yeah," he breathed, "sorry. Just kind of lost in thought."

"There are worse places to be lost," Dumbledore interjected amicably. "In any case, if you are not too busy with your ponderings, I was merely wondering if you'd like to have some tea with me in my office before you went to sleep? I'd enjoy hearing of your travels, if you don't mind sharing them."

_Follow your heart. _This sounded like what he should do, so Harry agreed to Dumbledore's request and followed him, accompanied by Hermione Granger, with whom Dumbledore was still in deep conversation, down the winding corridors of Hogwarts school, careful not to seem as if he knew where he was going in the school he had lived in and loved for seven years.

SCENE

"I was very sorry to hear about the closing of the Bartholomeus school," Dumbledore said sincerely. "Headmaster Treboux was a good friend of mine a long time ago. We fought against Grindelwald together."

"Yes, it was indeed a sad day when I heard the news," Harry agreed. "But what else could he have done? Bartholomeus did not have the extensive protection afforded to Hogwarts, and the risks of death eaters attacking increased every year. I was a member of a small resistance force, but we did not have nearly the numbers to protect the school." Five years of meditation had taught Harry how to close his mind against occlumency as well.

Dumbledore inclined his head in agreement. "Of course the safety of the students is essential and must always remain the first priority. I can not tell you how difficult it was to ensure the safety of students here before Voldemort was killed. Especially with the presence of Harry Potter, the school became even more of an obvious target. Even now we get some renegade death eater activity in the area, mostly deranged former servants of the dark lord who pose no threat, but we must always be cautious."

"Ah, yes, of course," Harry said wryly. "Harry Potter. The boy-who-lived. His loss was mourned by wizards and witches throughout the world."

Hermione spoke up for the first time in a while. "You know they never found-…" she was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Enter," Dumbledore called.

Two people came in to the room and Hermione let out a squeal of excitement. She jumped out of her seat and dashed to the door, embracing both in turn. Harry was hardly surprised to see the friendly embrace exchanged with the taller and younger person- Ronald Weasley. It was when Hermione turned to the other, hugged him, and even received a small kiss on the cheek in return, that Harry was floored with shock. It was Severus Snape. A much nicer, cleaner, more agreeable looking Severus Snape. Hugging Harry's best friend. The one that had annoyed him mercilessly as his student.

"James, may I introduce Ron Weasley and Severus Snape?" He gestured to each in turn. "Ron, Severus, this is James Sevanski, he is traveling from Switzerland and decided to stay the night with us after bumping in to Neville and Hermione in Hogsmeade." Harry shook each of their hands. Dumbledore suddenly became more serious. "How did it go? Did you find out anything?"

He directed this question at Snape, who looked uncertainly from Dumbledore to 'James' a few times. Harry understood his hesitancy to answer the question in front of a stranger, so he decided to save them from an awkward moment.

"I hate to leave you at such an early hour," Harry apologized, "but I am quite worn out from my long day. I do believe it is time for me to head back down to the village." Harry had found his way out; he would slip away that night, wait a few days, and return as Harry, now that he knew a little more about what he was getting in to. No one would ever hear from 'James Sevanski' again.

"-Show you to your room."

Harry had not been paying attention as Hermione was speaking.

"Sorry? I didn't catch that."

She smiled at him. "I said, come with me, I'll show you to your room."

"Oh." He faltered a bit. "Of course. Thank you. That would be lovely."

And they left the room together. Harry wondered just how deep this was going to go.

SCENE

"You musn't jump to conclusions, Hermione," Dumbledore reassured her.

"No, she is right," Snape spoke up quietly from the corner. "There is something about him, I could just sense it for a moment. He is not being entirely truthful about something."

"He's from a Swiss school with a Russian name and a British accent, surely _something_ would alert you that there may be a little more here than he's letting on!" Hermione was getting a bit worked up about this. "And I'm telling you, he knows his way around this school! He knew exactly where I was taking him, he stopped at the portrait before I did!"

Snape turned to Dumbledore earnestly. "Believe me, Albus. I spent the better part of twenty years as a spy, forced to lie to save my very life. He may pass your occlumency test, but that tells us nothing save that he is a skilled occlumens."

Dumbledore held up his hands for silence and calm. "I have the perfect solution. It should at least resolve some of your worries. I still keep in occasional contact with the former headmaster of the Bartholomeus school in Switzerland. I will write him and see just what he can tell me of a student named James Sevanski."

He looked at each of the others in the room in turn. "I trust," he said sternly, "that you will treat James kindly, despite your concerns, for the duration of his stay." They all knew immediately that it was an order, not a request.

SCENE

**A/N: So, whaddya think? It's a little bizarre, I know, not my normal writing style (I don't think)…but the mood struck, and who am I to deny my muse? **

**The inspiration for this story actually came from one a read a few years ago and just remembered last week…but I can't find it! That's part of the reason I wanted to write my own somewhat similar story. If this sounds familiar to you by any chance, let me know: The story I'm thinking of, everyone thought Harry and Voldemort killed each other in the final battle, but actually neither of them died. It's a few years later and Harry goes back to Hogwarts in disguise (possibly under the name James?) and ends up staying at Hogwarts I think. Also- he is being 'haunted' by Draco's ghost, but they were more of friends really…anyway, if ANYONE can help me out (unlikely as that is) I will love you forever! Anyway, I'm currently in the midst of a desperate search for that. **

**Well then…tell me what you thought…should I continue the story, is it bad? **

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, this is definitely going to be a short story, haha. In fact, as I write this, I think it will only be these two chapters…but we'll see where I am when I actually complete the chappie. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine…dang.**

**Chapter 2**

Harry, though slightly aware of their suspicions surrounding him, could not bring himself to leave the next day. He enjoyed immensely having the opportunity to see all of these people in a different light, with them entirely unaware he was really the 'boy-who-lived'. He knew that, once he came back as himself, it would never be the same. And he also knew the new level of pain that his reappearance would cause to those who thought him dead. He knew Ron and Hermione, and he knew they would blame themselves for not looking harder for him. He was downright scared, he began to realize, and wondered if he hadn't made a mistake coming back quite so soon. But he had been so sure of himself that day. Maybe, in the end, there would be a purpose to his disguised appearance right now.

That was what he had come to understand under the care of Bernard; things do not just happen. Well some things do. But the important things, the big things, all kind of fit together in one big puzzle of life that we are all a part of. This is why it is so important to follow your heart; you are merely ensuring all the pieces go where they are supposed to go.

With this in mind, Harry felt slightly less guilty about fooling all the people who had ever cared about him since he could remember. Only slightly. He was truly very torn inside. And so, with this all churning in his brain, he announced his necessary departure about a week after he arrived, claiming he had allowed himself to be "entirely too easily sidetracked by you nice people here at Hogwarts."

Neville, with whom 'James' had struck quite a friendship, and Hermione, who liked 'James' despite the fact that she felt he was hiding something, decided that they should all go have a nice evening at the Three Broomsticks the night before he left. No reply had been received from the headmaster at the former Bartholomeus school, and Hermione decided to put aside her doubts since, if he was lying, she'd probably never see him again anyway.

And so, a group including Neville, Ron, Lupin, and 'James' made their way down the path to Hogsmeade to have a few drinks and talk. Dumbledore had requested a word with Hermione as she was leaving, so she would catch up later. The trip also served the second purpose of giving those that were teachers a last time to get out before the students returned the next week.

"…don't tell her I told you, but hers had _cat_ hair!"

"You're joking!"

Ron was fondly reminiscing about their second year at Hogwarts and the making of the Polyjuice potion.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Snape, and Hermione were engaged in a serious conversation. At the last minute, Dumbledore had received his reply from Headmaster Treboux.

"I knew it." Hermione had a cold triumph in her voice.

"So," Snape said ponderously, "he is either lying about his name, his school, or both."

"Actually," put in Dumbledore, "there is no doubt that he is lying about his name. Treboux is a very thorough, efficient wizard. He took the liberty of researching any James Sevanskis listed on _any_ wizarding registries in Europe. There are none."

"I just don't understand!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why would he lie? He doesn't seem to be _evil_ or anything. It's not like he's tried anything while he's been here, we've kept too close an eye on him, he wouldn't have gotten away with so much as breaking a potion vial without us knowing it."

"I'd hardly say anyone has a close eye on him now," Snape commented dryly.

Realization (so she thought at least) dawned in Hermione's eyes. "That's it! He gained our trust, and said he was leaving, knowing we'd want to take him down to the village for a night out."

"With what purpose or intent, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore looked incredibly skeptical.

"Well if I knew _that_ we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation! But I think Severus and I need to go down to Hogsmeade and bring James back here at once and keep him confined until we have the chance to properly interrogate him."

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose it is for the best," he murmured. Having received permission, Hermione grabbed the letter from Headmaster Treboux and she and Snape strode quickly to the door and through the halls of the school. They stepped out in to the warm night and quickened their pace further still as they headed down the path to Hogsmeade.

The pair stopped outside the Three Broomsticks and drew their wands. Both were superb duelers, but surprise was always a good thing to have on one's side.

"Just remember, Hermione," Snape cautioned, "you don't know why he has lied about- well, everything. But you never know when the explanation just might justify the method."

Hermione nodded her assent and they entered the pub, quickly spotting the party of people from Hogwarts in the mostly empty place. Remus was the first to notice the grim faces of the pair that had just entered.

"Is something the matter, Hermione?" he asked concernedly. She did not answer directly but instead spoke to 'James.'

"You need to come back up to the school with me and Severus, _James_. We are going to question you, with Veritaserum if necessary, until we receive satisfactory answers as to why you've been lying to us about your identity since you arrived."

Ron, Neville, and Remus sat dumbstruck. Harry looked nervously at Hermione but calmly said, "What do you mean? Why would you think I've been lying?"

"Professor Dumbledore received this letter just about an hour ago from _Professor Treboux_. Remember him? The headmaster at the school you didn't actually go to?" She handed him the letter and saw his face go slightly more pale.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. He just had to choose the school whose former headmaster knew Dumbledore, despite the fact this it was one of the smallest wizarding schools in Europe, despite the fact that the school didn't even function anymore. He never figured Dumbledore would actually check up on him, even when he had mentioned knowing Treboux before. Dumbledore had always been so trusting, before the war at least.

"I'm also going to need your wand," Hermione stated.

"I don't have it," Harry said.

"You must be joking," Snape spoke up. "What fool does not carry a wand, especially when leaving his own home?"

Harry shrugged. "Didn't think I would need it," he said dryly.

Several things then happened at once. Everyone opened their mouth to speak at the same time, Madame Rosmerta rushed over to find out what confrontation was going on in her pub, and the door to the small pub opened- and in came a group of six people dressed in death eater robes. Which prompted shrieking from the rest of the patrons as people dove under tables.

Distracted by the drama going on within their number, the group from Hogwarts did not even have time to react before the death eaters shouted, "Expelliarmus!" in unison.

Five wands ('James' really did not have one, Hermione noted) landed in the hands of five death eaters. ("You've betrayed us!" Hermione shrieked at 'James.') The sixth death eater strolled casually past each person in turn, noting each as he went.

"Let me see," the silky smooth voice said, a very familiar voice. "The werewolf, the Weasley, the idiot, the traitor, the mudblood, and…ah, a new face," he said with something akin to delight. "Bind them all." He stopped and gazed at 'James', looking for any sign of recognition, and Harry was nearly paralyzed by those steely grey eyes.

_The death eater had Hermione around the neck, a last desperate struggle to get away from the fight. Voldemort had yet to make his appearance, but it would obviously be his downfall when he did. _

_Harry rushed to the aid of his best friend but stopped cold when the death eater put a knife to Hermione's throat. He drew it across just enough to draw blood, which he leaned down and licked away. Harry could see Hermione shudder in disgust. He knew that she could be dead the minute he began to raise his wand. _

_At that moment, there was a scream, a loud piercing scream, which was quickly followed by several more. Voldemort had arrived. The death eater was distracted long enough for Harry to quickly obtain both his wand and his knife. He strode forward and yanked Hermione's arm, pulling her to him. In the process, the death eater's hood and mask fell off, revealing him- Lucius Malfoy. _

"_Harry!" Hermione shrieked. "He's coming!" Indeed he was…Voldemort was blasting his way through the battle and carnage in order to reach Harry, with whom he knew he must duel for the fight to end, one way or another. _

_Harry turned back to Malfoy, stared into those cold steely eyes, and said in a low, menacing voice, "I'm going to let you live. But if you_ ever_ touch Hermione, or any of my friends ever again-," he was cut off by Hermione's scream. _

"_Harry!"_

"Such hatred, from someone I don't believe I've ever met," Lucius drawled. "You find yourself in high company though, perhaps their attitudes have begun to rub off on you."

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish?" Remus interjected in his consoling voice, ever the negotiator. "We are little more now than teachers (meaning himself, Hermione, Neville, and Severus) and ministry workers (meaning Ron) and- well…" He was cut off before he could stumble over who 'James' really was.

"Oh, we have nothing left to really accomplish. There are so few of us left. But what a great moral victory would it be to those who remain secretly loyal to the dark lord's teachings? Five heroes of the dark lord's defeat. And well, when you were spotted, it was too great an opportunity to pass up. Perhaps you should have brought Dumbledore with you, we would never have dared to try anything with him here. After all, he _was_ the only wizard the dark lord ever feared. Other than Harry Potter of course. But he's dead, so I guess that hardly matters now, does it?" He laughed maniacally and was joined by some chortles of the other death eaters.

"But no matter. Your rotten luck, I suppose." More laughs. "They're all bound?" He directed this question to the death eater who had magically bound their arms behind their backs- no ropes or anything, just a powerful restraining spell. "Wonderful. Choose your favorite person and off we go! We will march them through Hogsmeade as a show of our victory. After that- well, we shall worry about that when we arrive," he smirked evilly. "Personally, I think I'd like…" he gazed in turn at each person, "Ah! Miss Granger." He grabbed her and pulled her to him closely. "Doesn't this just look familiar," he said dangerously. "No Mr. Potter to save you now," he whispered lowly in her ear.

And that was when Harry lost it. Everyone was startled as the lights surged briefly before returning to their normal levels.

"MALFOY!" he bellowed. Everyone in the room turned to him in shock. Quick as a flash, Harry had removed himself easily from the binding spell, sending the death eater grasping his arm flying across the room with a burst of power, landing in a heap near the bar.

"You fool!" hissed Malfoy at the death eater who had done the binding, thinking 'James' had merely had a weak spell.

"Give her to me, Malfoy!"

Malfoy laughed derisively. "Or you'll do what exactly? You have no weapon. You are outnumbered six wands to none."

"I don't need a wand to beat you in to a bloody pulp, now do I?"

"Foolish words, from an undoubtedly foolish man," Lucius mocked. He then turned his attention to Hermione, leaning down and kissing her neck in the place he had cut her five years previously. This brief distraction gave Harry all the time he needed.

He held out his arm and, as though yanked forward by an invisible rope, Hermione came crashing in to him. Lucius now looked utterly bewildered. But then again, so did everyone else in the room as well. Harry stalked forward, paying no attention to anyone else, paying no attention to the fact that five wands were now at his back. Lucius finally began to look a little afraid.

"James," Hermione moaned, "please. Let it go." Harry paid her no mind.

"I warned you, Malfoy! I goddamn warned you! Perhaps five years has made your mind a little rusty. I told you to leave my friends alone! I should have killed you when I had the chance." He grinned evilly. "No matter. I have the chance again now."

Lucius, though thoroughly befuddled, was very frightened of him at this point. Two death eaters attempted to stun 'James' but the spells never seemed to reach him.

"James," Remus said calmly, "calm down. Please, for all our sakes, don't do anything rash."

Remus' words had the soothing effect he'd hoped for. Harry took a deep breath, remembered his meditation rituals, and merely held out his hand. Eleven wands came rushing towards him. At the same time, the magical bonds holding his five companions snapped and they were all free to move again. The death eaters, minus the one unconscious by the bar, made a break for the door. Harry simply lifted a hand, and all five fell silently to the floor, unconscious as well.

"_Bloody cowards_," he muttered, before he too fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The five companions rushed towards him, all of them now unsure what to believe about his past and who he was loyal to now.

"Ron, Hermione," he murmured quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Shh," Remus shushed him. "Don't talk. You've spent too much energy, your body needs time to recover."

Ron looked to Hermione in bewilderment, but she was staring at James, as though trying to see past him, deep in thought.

"I'm sorry," Harry managed one more time before slipping off in to unconscious bliss.

SCENE

"I'm telling you, it's too powerful! I can't remove it!" Madame DuBois (Madame Pomfrey had died during a fight at the school five years ago) was arguing with Ron. "I mean honestly, you're telling me he could do _controlled_ magic without so much as a wand, it's hardly surprising." She had done a scan of James whilst he was unconscious to be sure he wasn't using up any more magic than necessary and had noticed something strange. "Besides, how important could it be, lots of wizards use concealing charms to cover scars and that type of thing. He's probably just got some ugly scar he wanted to hide."

"Oh, I think he's hiding a little more than a scar," Hermione spoke up quietly for the first time since they'd reached the school, levitating James on a stretcher.

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked. Severus had gone to retrieve him upon reentering Hogwarts and they were now all in the infirmary.

"It was the thing he said to Malfoy that first got me to thinking. '_I warned you. I told you to leave my friends alone_.' Don't you remember? Malfoy had no idea who James was, and he hardly seems one to forget something like that."

"So you think it's a full figure changing charm?"

"But why would he need to fool us about who he is?" Neville asked in confusion.

"Because," Hermione stammered hesitantly, "because he was afraid of how we'd react when he came back!"

"You know who he is, Hermione?" Remus questioned.

"I- I think I do," she muttered. "But I don't want to say, in case I'm wrong."

At that moment, a low chuckle sounded from the bed which 'James' occupied. "You were never wrong, Hermione," he said wryly. "Except of course, when you put cat's hair into your Polyjuice potion."

"Hey, you said you wouldn't tell her I told you!" Ron exclaimed indignantly.

'James' continued. "So there's no way in the name of Merlin you're wrong now. Tell us, who am I?" But Hermione seemed too overcome with emotion to speak properly. Harry turned to Lupin instead.

"It was you I thought would figure it out actually, Remus," he admitted. "I thought you'd have it two minutes after you heard my name. _James Sevan_ski. Hardly creative, but appropriate."

Harry could see the wheels turning as first confusion, then understanding, then hope crossed Remus' face. "They never found a body," he murmured to himself. "Harry?"

Harry laughed, a true honest laugh, removing the concealing charm that had kept his true appearance a secret for over a week now. Remus became rather choked up and Harry pulled him down in to a hug.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed, "where on earth have you _been_, mate?"

SCENE

_**Greatest accomplishment of wizardkind since defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named**_

_Last true leader of death eaters apprehended in Hogsmeade last night_

_Story by: special correspondent Rita Skeeter_

_The Minister of Magic has officially declared the defeat of the uprising started by You-Know-Who over thirty years ago with the capture of renegade death eater Lucius Malfoy. _

_Many believed Malfoy would eventually set himself up as the next dark lord, but any remaining death eaters are likely to cease hostilities against the wizarding community with the death of this rebel leader._

_The capture occurred in the small village of Hogsmeade, which lies slightly south of Hogwarts school, late last night. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore said, 'It was meant to be. All of the right people were in the right place at the right time,' but failed to elaborate any further or divulge just who these 'right people' are. Headmaster Dumbledore himself had no part in the capture, however. _

_Lucilla Bryant, who was in the Three Broomsticks pub at the time of the incident, says…_

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

**A/N: Well that's it. Do tell me what you all thought. Pretty please? How about if I make it really easy for you. All you have to do is hit the review button and hit a number- here's what the numbers mean:**

**1- whoa, that story was awesome! I loved it, write some more!**

**2- eh…it was pretty good. A little cliché maybe, but well written.**

**3- not that great. But it held my attention to the end at least.**

**4- it sucked. I only read the whole thing to see if it could possibly get any better. And it didn't! You should just jump off a cliff and die!**

**5- er…I don't get it. What the hell does 'James Sevanski' have to do with _anything?_**

**6- follow the butterflies, follow the butterflies…**

**7- where the hell did I put that chainsaw…?**

**8- 'Ronnikus Explodikus!'**

**9- Snape is a sexy beast!**

**10- you're twisted lady…real twisted.**

**And feel free to note more than one response! For instance, maybe you liked it but you ALSO think Snape is a sexy beast! You might hit the button and merely type 1 and 9! That simple. So everyone, please review.**

**If you're interested and didn't already know…I'm currently in the midst of a story centered on Snape and Hermione (not a romance though) so if you're interested, check that out too, it's called 'Changes in Heart'. It's 9 chapters in already.**

**Cheers!**

**Lexi**


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